


Marble Pop

by LuckyMiku64



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Gravity Falls AU, No Plot/Plotless, Reverse Falls, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-07-01 00:45:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15763140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyMiku64/pseuds/LuckyMiku64





	Marble Pop

The end of summer brought the looming weight of the impending school year. Most children would gladly trade away school lunches, report cards, and bullies for heat waves, public pools, and sugar frosties.  
Nearing this bittersweet end was Mabel and Dipper Gleeful. Their birthday had passed and school was lurking closer by the day. Sure, they could get through their classes just fine. The classes were easy enough. They'd gotten used to keeping their heads down and their mouths shut, listening silently as the teachers droned on. But no matter what they did, the other students seemed to get a kick out of harassing them.  
It usually started with Dipper. He would get a little too excited about something, and that would draw the other kids' attention. Mabel would stand up for him, of course. But it never did any good. By the end of the first day, they were both labeled the classroom weirdos – and easy targets for the rest of the year.  
Not that home was much better. Three months with them, and Dipper and Mabel were nearly at the breaking point. To have to face both them and school at the same time...  
So they left.  
Not permanently. But they started leaving the house at dawn and returning at dusk. They had asked permission at first, but that earned them a 'no' or a smack upside the head. So they didn't ask. They just left, and came back as late as they could. By the time the two of them got home, they would be passed out on the sofa or their bed, or they'd just forgotten that they hadn't seen their kids all day. It became a routine to sneak out.  
Of course, this meant they had hours of time to fill. They usually headed for the Skytrain station, where they could sit in the sun and feel the warmth of it deep in their bones while they waited for their ride. As dawn turned into early morning, the station would gradually fill up with people. Mabel especially liked watching them, wondering what their lives were like, whether they were going somewhere safe.

Mabel and Dipper were different. Summer made claustrophobic classrooms and overbearing teachers seem almost inviting. Especially compared to spending time with Them. And this summer had been particularly bad.  
So they left.  
Not permanently. Every morning, the twins woke up early and quietly left the house at dawn. They never asked for permission to leave – that just earned a slap in the face along with a forceful “no”. So the twins resorted to sneaking out, returning only when it was long past dusk. Usually They were asleep on the couch by then, or had forgotten that Mabel and Dipper hadn't been there all day. So at least during daylight hours, the twins were safe.  
Of course, this meant they had several hours of time to fill. They usually headed for the Skytrain station, where they could sit in the sun and feel the warmth of it deep in their bones while they waited for their ride. As dawn turned into early morning, the station would gradually fill up with people. Mabel especially liked watching them, wondering what their lives were like, wondering where they were going.

They found themselves at the Skytrain again one early morning, exactly a week before school started.  
“What about that one?” Mabel asked, leaning slightly closer to her brother. Her purse swung against her side. Her purse, like Dipper's backpack, were both a few years old, but Mabel's craftsmanship kept them in good shape.  
Dipper looked around sleepily. “Which one, the kid over there? What about him?”  
“I think he’s in high school.”  
Dipper tilted his head, observing him carefully, like he was going to be quizzed on it later. The guy Mabel had gestured to was skulking towards the nearest directory. He was tall with poor posture, messy hair, and bags under his eyes.  
“He looks kind of depressed,” Dipper remarked.  
“That’s why I’m saying he’s a high schooler.”  
“You're such a cynic.”  
She leaned back.   
“Better to be that than disappointed.”  
Well, he couldn't argue there.  
The sound of the train echoed down the tunnel. The two of them jumped off the bench and moved towards the track, squeezing through a sea of bodies and luggage. Awkward as it was, the crowd helped hide them from security. They managed to sneak aboard and claim the treasured duo seat right next to the cleanest window.  
It was a bit of back and forth to decide who got the window seat, but all Dipper had to do was pull the puppy dog face and Mabel immediately gave in.  
The train was eerily quiet. Nobody talked, just read newspapers, looked at cellphones, or stared off into the distance, lost in thought. It was like an unwritten rule that you weren't supposed to make a sound. It was a little creepy, Mabel liked it – nobody ever asked them questions, like where they were going, or where their parents were.  
This morning, though, Dipper looked like he wanted to talk. He kept shifting slightly and glancing at Mabel, a look that clearly said, I have to tell you something.  
She sent a glance back – Okay, just wait a little – and gazed calmly out the window as the train rolled on.  
Finally, an announcer's voice called over the speakers: “Next stop, Deer Creek Village Station.”  
She stood, along with Dipper and several other passengers. Conversations started up like there had never been a pause, and as the train doors slid open, noise and people flooded in.  
The two of them followed a fat businessman as closely as they dared, letting him bulldoze a path through the crowd. Despite his size and pointy elbows, Dipper and Mabel were bumped and jabbed repeatedly. It was like everyone was competing with each other in a race Mabel and Dipper didn't know about.  
At last they made it out of the station and into the open air. Deer Creek Village was one of their favorite places to visit. It was a nice neighborhood; the people were well-off but not snobby, the stores were cheap and inviting, and the people they passed on the sidewalk left plenty of room for the twins as they passed. Mabel wondered – often – how the people got to be here, what they did to get to live and work and breathe in such a peaceful place. The cynic inside her told her it was just because they were born into a life of luck but another part of her wanted to believe otherwise, that part chose to see it as they worked for it and if the twins do too, they could get there. 

Their favorite spot was a local corner store. The owner never questioned why they came without their parents, and the prices were by far the cheapest. Dipper had worked out a budget based on what little pocket money they had, but even so, they could buy sodas and chips almost every day. The twins bought two sodas and a new kind of chip placed on a display at the front. Then they paid and took their purchases to a small table at the back of the store. Usually teenagers claimed it for their own, but today was a lucky day – the table was free. The twins sat down to enjoy their purchases. While Mabel dug out a small book from her purse, Dipper took his soda out of the bag, the surface still misted with condensation. He peeled the seal off and the green plunger went flying.  
Mabel smirked behind her book.   
“You always do that.”  
“Shut up.”   
He ducked under the table to get it. She watched him surreptitiously as he opened the plunger, an audible fizz was heard and his face slowly relaxed. It was a weird soda with an unguessable flavor – Mabel thought it tasted like limeade, while Dipper insisted it was just plain carbonated water. Whatever it was, though, she liked that it made him happy.  
He glanced over at her.   
“Are you not having yours?”  
Mabel shrugged.  
“You could try some of...whatever this is.”   
He pulled a package out of the bag. It was bright blue with a dancing shrimp on it.   
“Shrimp Crisps!”   
he read.   
“'They're shrimpy, they're crispy, they're -' hey you know what, I think I should hang onto these.”  
“Hey!”   
She leaned over the table to grab it.  
He held it just out of her reach, grinning. “C'mon! I like shrimp, I like crispy things, this was made for me!”  
“Give it, you dork,”  
she laughed, finally snatching it from him and pulling it open. After stuffing a sizable handful in her mouth, she put it in the middle so they could both eat the crisps. When they were gone, Dipper bought another bag and brought it over.  
They were halfway through it when Mabel stopped and cleared her throat.  
“So,”   
she said.   
“On the train, it looked like you had something you wanted to talk about.”  
The smile faded from his face. He glanced down at his hands. “I...heard something.”  
“Yeah?”   
she asked casually.   
“I hear lotsa things, myself. Wind rustling, people walking, birds farting –”  
“Birds do not fart.”  
“Says you.”  
He still wasn't smiling.   
“They were talking on the phone,”   
he said.   
“Well, Mom was. Apparently we have a Great Uncle.”  
Mabel's smile had vanished as soon as he'd mentioned Them. She nodded slowly.  
“So...so Mom and Dad...are getting kind of sick of looking after us during the summer.”   
His eyes went bitter with the unspoken thought: In spite of the fact that we're never there. “So they're sending us away. To the uncle's place. Next year.”  
Mabel's gut felt very cold.   
“Oh.”  
She couldn't believe it. Or maybe the worst part was that she could believe it. Just when they'd worked out how to get by over the summer and stay out of Their way, they were going to be sent to some relative they'd never heard of? Someone who might actually be worse than their parents?  
A small sob-gasp caught her ear and she looked up. Dipper was not quite crying, but his shoulders trembled and his cheeks were red. He looked even worse than she felt, all twisted up with disappointment and misery and fear.  
“Oh, Dipper...”   
She leaned across the table and took his hand. “It'll be okay, Dipper. We'll figure it out.”  
Dipper squeezed it similar to how he would when getting a shot.   
“Wh-what if he’s worse?”  
The twin connection. If she thinks it, he does too. It was a valid question one she didn’t really have the answer to.   
“W-well...What if he’s nice?”   
Dipper looked up slightly. Clearly, his attention was captured by that.   
“I mean we know that not all parents are like ours right? Remeber Jimmy’s parents?”  
“Jimmy had nice parents...”  
Dipper admitted  
“Yeah, really nice! And that could be this uncle guy! Or - or he could be so old that he’ll forget everything we do!”  
“Maybe he’ll get us to chase kids off his lawn.”  
He jokingly said with a weak smile.   
“Yes! Guardians of the lawn!”  
Dipper was able to laugh. It wasn’t as strong as usual but it was something. After Mabel swallowed down some more chips as if it was a pill then continued.   
“Now, I don’t wanna act like this is guaranteed. Just a possibility okay?”  
Dipper nodded.   
“Now come on.”   
Dipper watches her grab her purse and stand up confused.   
“We still have a train ride home to make an escape plan. Just in case”


End file.
